Elon Musk could open source Twitter's algorithm next week
Is Elon Musk finally going to free the caged blue bird by open-sourcing Twitter's algorithm? If a recent tweet of his is anything to go by, that is certainly on the cards. We might see Twitter's recommendation algorithm as early as next week. The move could silence calls for open-sourcing the microblogging's algorithm by the broader open-source community.
Why does this story matter?
If Musk wasn't joking about open-sourcing Twitter's algorithm, the decision could open several opportunities for the microblogging platform. For starters, it might divert people's attention from Musk's decision to boost his own tweets. It will also help Twitter directly challenge its open-source alternatives, such as Mastodon and Nostr. Above all, Musk could regain the support of all those who left Twitter.
Musk's announcement came as a response to a user
Musk's announcement about open-sourcing Twitter's algorithm came as a response to a user who asked him to "open source it." The billionaire said, "Prepare to be disappointed at first when our algorithm is made open source next week." The user was replying to a tweet from the CEO calling Twitter the "world's largest non-profit organization."
Prepare to be disappointed, says Musk
Musk has always been a proponent of open-sourcing Twitter's algorithm
Musk has been a proponent of open-sourcing Twitter's algorithm. Even before he became the CEO of the company. In March 2022, he conducted a poll asking Twitterati whether the Twitter algorithm should be open source or not. An overwhelming majority voted "yes" then. He has also sparred with former CEO Jack Dorsey about the same.
Musk once sparred with Dorsey about Twitter's algorithm
During a conversation with Dorsey last year, Musk said, "You are being manipulated by the algorithm in ways you don't realize." He added that the algorithm "inadvertently" manipulates/amplifies viewpoints without the user realizing it by trying to guess what the user might want to read. "Open source is the way to go to solve both trust and efficacy," Musk concluded.
Dorsey is also a fan of open-sourcing Twitter's algorithm
Dorsey is also a supporter of making Twitter's algorithm open source. He has previously expressed his regret in turning Twitter into a company. Instead, he said, Twitter should have been a verifiable and open protocol. Dorsey has shared the same idea with Musk. Twitter should be based on an "open source protocol, funded by a foundation," he said.
